Sprouting apparatus.



No. 790,369. PATENTED MAY23,1905.

' J. VON DER KA-MMER.

SPROUTING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED APB. 4,1904.

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J. VON DER KAMMER. SPROUTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 4, 1904.

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LVON DER K'A'MMBR.

SPROUTING APPARATUS.

APPLIOA'TIOE FILED APR. 4, 1904.

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SP'ROUTING APPARATUS APPLICATION FILED APR. 4, 1904.

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UNITED STATES.

Patented May 23, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

SPROUTINVGAPPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 790,369, dated May 23,1905. Application filed April 4, 1904. Serial No. 201,512.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN VON DER KAM- MER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Prairieview, in the county of Lake and State ofIllinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in SproutingApparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement upon the apparatus forming thesubject of constantly supplied to the chamber through the fine pores inits walls. This discovery enables the use of moss, formerly employed byme in the walls of the chamber, to be avoided, it having been found byexperience in its use that the moss becomes compacted, whereby theporosity of the walls is impaired, preventing the free circulationnecessary to permit the interchange of gases required to promote rapidgrowth, and that the moss will decay in time, requiring the structure tobe rebuilt, thus incurring trouble and expense.

The preferred construction of my new sprouting apparatus is illustratedin the accompanying drawings, in which I Figure 1 is a view of theframework in'front (or rear) elevation; Fig. 2, a view of the completedstructure in side elevation; Fig. 3, a section taken at the line 3 onFig. 1 and viewed in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 4, a section takenat the line 1 on Fig. 2 and viewed in the I direction of the arrow; Fig.5, a view in front (or rear) elevation, half in vertical section,showing the wall construction more in detail than it is shown in Fig. 2;Fig. 6, an end view of an open-work drawer such as it is preferred toprovide in each compartment of the structure; F ig./7 a side View ofthe'same, and Fig. 8 a perspective view showing the different forms ofhollow porous tiling employed .as the preferred material for the wallsof the structure.

The frame, which is shown of rectangular shape, is composed of metal,the base and top being each formed of four anglebars a, fitted togetherat the corners, from which rise similar bars Z), connecting the topframe and the base-frame, the inner angles of the corners of the latterbeing reinforced with angle-ironsc and the structure being supportedabove the ground on feet a at the several corners, and T-bars cl jointhe side bars a of thebase-frame at intervals. At intervals along theouter surfaces of the side bars of the base and top frames are fastenedsockets f for tie-rods As represented the structure comprises twovertical tiers of compartments or chambers la, each being about one-halfthe width of the structure and extending entirely through it from end toend, though it is within the purview of my invention to provide anynumber of such tiers or only a single chamber.

In the structure illustrated I employ porous and therefore unglazedhollow tiling for the walls of the apparatus. For the sides the tilesare of the form represented at '1; in Fig.

' 8, each having flat sides 2" a base-flange 2' an inwardly-extendingflange i at the base, a longitudinal top groove 7 and a plurality oflongitudinal chambers '6 These tiles for the bases of the sides aredevoid of the flanges i and they are laid one upon the other with theflange i of each entering the groove d in. the one below it to the topsof the side walls, where the tiles like that shown at 7' in Fig. 8 areemployed, each being rectangular in crosssection with a channel 7'extending longitudinally through it and having a base-flangey" to enterthe groove c" in the uppermost tile c' and a side flange The centralwall dividing the apparatus into two tiers of chambers it is built ofhollow tiles of the form represented at 70 in' Fig. 8, each having flatsides 14, a base-flange 70 (except in the tiles used at the base of thewall, from which this flange is omitted) lateral flanges Z4 is at thebase, a longitudinal top groove 70, and a plurality of longitudinalchannels/c. These tiles are laid one upon the other, as are the tiles 5,with cement for binding them in each case to the top of that wall wheretiles are employed like that shown at Z in Fig. 8, having a bodyrectangular in cross-section provided with a baseflange Z, lateralflanges Z Z and a longitudinal channel Z. The bases and tops of thechambers h are formed with hollow tiles like those represented at m inFig. 8, having flat upper and lower surfaces with lateral flanges m anda plurality of parallel longitudinal channels m These are laid insuccessively reverse order crosswise of the frame, with the flanges m onthe outer edges of the outermost tiles m in each section of thestructure resting upon the flanges d of the tiles and the flanges of theintermediate tile in overlapped by those of the similar tiles flankingit. As many sets of these overlapping tiles on are laid in verticalorder as there are chambers h to be provided, and the number thereofemployed in each horizontal line thereof from front to rear of theapparatus depends upon the length or depth of the apparatus in thatdirection. WVhere the ends of the tiles m meet, T-bars a are interposedbetween them for reinforcement, and the outer ends of these tiles arefaced by the vertical flanges of angle-bars 0, on which metal doors pare hinged at their upper edges for closing the entrances to thechambers at their opposite ends. The rods 9, fastened at their ends inthe upper and lower sockets f, serve to tie the structure vertically.

To use the apparatus, it is kept wet throughout with water, and thegrain, tubers, or bulbs to be sprouted are introduced into the chambersIt, preferably but not necessarily in open-work receptacles, such aswoven-wire drawers like the one represented at q in Figs. 6 and 7. WVhenthe drawers are used, two may be introduced into each chamber, one fromeach end. To supply the necessary moisture, the walls are kept saturatedwith water by directing a stream thereof against them at requiredintervals, though the moisture may be supplied, at least in part, bydrenching the contents of the chambers with water, the excess of whichis absorbed by the porous walls and maintains them in their requiredmoist condition for the growth-producing effect of the moisture upon theair admitted through the porous walls into the chambers and circulatedtherein to enhance the sprouting of their contents.

The use of the apparatus thus described shows a marvelous effect inpromoting the growth of grains, tubers, and bulbs, even greater thanthat produced by the apparatus of my said former patent, and it ispermanent and always clean and pure. While hollow tiling is preferredfor the structure, because of the air circulation it induces through thewall, solid tiling may be used to advantage, and, in fact, tiling is notindispensable,

since any form of solid non-vegetable material that will render thechamber-walls adequately porous may be used, pmticularly where cheapnessof construction is an object.

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A sprouting apparatus comprising a frame of metal and a plurality ofsproutingchambers supported therein having their inclosing Walls formedof solid porous non-vegetable material and readily absorbent of moisturethrough their entire thickness, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

2. A sprouting apparatus comprising a frame of metal and a plurality ofsproutingchambers having door-closed openings at their ends, saidchambers having their inclosing walls formed of solid porousnon-vegetable material and readily absorbent of moisture through theirentire thickness, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A sprouting apparatus comprising a frame of metal with legs on itsbase for supporting it, and one or more tiers of sprouting-chambershaving door-closed entrances, said chambers having their inclosing wallsformed of solid porous non-vegetable material and readily absorbent ofmoisture through their entire thickness, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

4. A sprouting apparatus comprising a frame of metaland a plurality ofsproutingchambers having door-closed entrances, said chambers havingtheir inclosing walls formed of interfltting tiling and readilyabsorbent of moisture through their entire thickness, substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

5. A sprouting apparatus comprising a frame of metal and a plurality ofsproutingchambers having door-closed entrances, said chambers havingtheir inclosing walls formed of interfitting hollow tiling and readilyabsorbent of moisture through their entire thickness, substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

6. A sprouting apparatus comprising a frame of metal with legs on itsbase for supporting it, and one or more tiers of sproutingchambershaving door-closed openings, said chambers having their inclosing wallsformed of interfitting tiling and readily absorbent of moisture throughtheir entire thickness, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. A sprouting apparatus comprising a frame of metal with legs on itsbase for supporting it, and one or more tiers of sproutingehambershaving door-closed openings, said chambers having their inclosing wallsformed of interfitting hollow tiling and readily absorbent of moisturethrough their entire thickness, and metal bars interposed between theadjacent ends of the tiling-sections forming the tops and bottoms of thechambers, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

of the structure, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

9. A sprouting apparatus comprising a frame of metal, tiers ofsprouting-chambers open at their opposite ends, having the side wallsformed of interfitting hollow tiles 2', their top and bottom wallsformed of interfitting hollow tiles m with hollow tiles j forming theupper corners of the structure, a partition-wall between the tiersformed of interfitting hollow tiles 7c, T-bars between the tiles,

angle-bars facing those at the ends of the structure, doors hinged tosaid angle-bars for closing the open ends of the chambers, and verticaltie-rods binding the structure together, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

JOHN VON DER KAMMER.

In presence of WALTER N. WINBERG, ALMA U. THORIEN.

